Prince Rupert—Tuesday’s toxic oil spill in Burnaby is a reminder of the dangers posed by oil tanker traffic and oil and gas exploration said North Coast MLA Gary Coons.

“I think that this disaster serves as a very public demonstration the dangers of tanker traffic and oil and gas exploration on our coast,” said the New Democrat MLA. “Often these disasters happen far from urban centers, so most people are only aware of them in an abstract way, but Tuesday’s spill in Burnaby is a highly public, highly visible example of the problems this sort of industrial activity can produce.”

MLA Coons believes that more people will have sympathy for the plight of Hartley Bay after seeing the devastation caused by oil in Burnaby and Burrard Inlet.

“This is a very unfortunate event, but I believe it will help people understand why the people of Hartley Bay are so upset by the ongoing up welling of fuel coming from the Queen of the North,” said Coons. “Those that lost their gardens and had concerns about their health because of this accident are in a unique position to understand how Hartley Bay feels about the damage to their traditional harvesting grounds.”

Oil spills can have a prolonged effect on marine ecosystems. Oil continues to show up in intertidal zones affected by the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989, and scientists report that salmon eggs and fry continue to suffer consequences due to oil concentrations that have remained in the water, almost two decades later.

“We must look at shipping and energy projects in a holistic manner and create overarching standards to guide the industrialization of British Columbia’s coastal waters,” said Coons. “At the current proposed level of tanker traffic British Columbians need to expect countless small spills, several moderate spills and at least one major offshore spill every year. As a province we need to decide if this is acceptable, especially when industry considers an oil recovery rate of 15% to be successful spill management”

The North Coast MLA hopes that the striking visual evidence of the devastation caused by this oil disaster will help convince people to support a ban on crude oil tanker traffic and oil and gas exploration on the North Coast.

“Right now all we have is a moratorium to protect our pristine, food rich, economically productive North Coast ecosystems,” Coons said. “I hope that the legacy of this disaster is a legislated ban on offshore oil and gas exploration as well as a ban on further oil tanker traffic on the North Coast.”